More than 25,000 participants from more than 100 countries have descended on the Lion City this week for the second edition of the Singapore FinTech Festival, currently taking place at Singapore Expo.
Organised by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), in partnership with The Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) and SingEx Holdings, the week-long event (which kicked off on Monday November 13) provides a platform for the global FinTech community to meet, network and collaborate.
Building on the success of the inaugural event in 2016, this year’s show has grown to become the world’s largest FinTech festival.
ABS director, Ong-Ang Ai Boon, says: “This year, we saw not only more participants overall but also an increase in the number of countries represented.
“For ASEAN especially, we are pleased that registrations have doubled from last year. We are encouraged by the continued support and enthusiasm shown by the FinTech community as they join us in what will be a robust exchange of ideas and exhibition of innovative solutions at the Festival.”
A new feature this year is the Investor Summit or “Deal Day” on November 17, which will showcase investment-worthy start-ups and disruptive technologies to local and global investors.
Several highlights of last year’s festival are back on the agenda, including the FinTech Conference, the Global FinTech Hackcelerator, the FinTech Awards, and an island-wide ‘Innovation Lab Crawl’ that includes visits to 24 fintech labs across Singapore.
SingEx Holdings CEO, Aloysius Arlando, says the mega event embodies a growing trend towards the ‘festivalisation’ of business events.
“Delegates to the FinTech Conference and Exhibition will find themselves immersed in a multi-sensory and digital experience. They will journey through 10 theme-based zones which feature more than 300 exhibitors, starts-up and country pavilions showcasing their innovative solutions; four stages of topical conferences with a stellar line-up of international and authoritative speakers; and an eclectic array of culinary delights from Singapore’s leading chefs and F&B rising stars.”